First of all, why don't you introduce yourself to those of us who
don't already know you?

My name
is Ashley Upperdine and I am 27 years of age I am an actor/model from
south Yorkshire, who studies at Northern Star
Acting.

As far as I know, you'll be
co-producing and starring in a movie called Bullied to Success - so
what's that one about, and what can you tell us about your character in
it?

The movie Bullied to Success follows a young boy
struggles in his school life and family life due to bullying, he doesn’t
know who is dad is, and his mum wishes she never had him and takes drugs
with her new drug dealer boyfriend. He gets beaten up at home and at school
also verbal abuse from all sides, it gets so bad that he just wants to
kill himself.

The character I play is Daniel the bullied
boy as a man where he has survived his childhood and overcome all the
bullying and become a very successful man, and he tells people his story, to
inspire them.

How did the project come into being in the first
place?

The project came in from an experience I had in
school and I was watching TV, when an advert on TV came on about the
effects of bullied in school, and a young man killing himself. It brought
back a lot of memories from school, and I thought to myself there and then
that I need to get the message out there about the true effects it can
have on someone's life, and how you can overcome it and become a success.

As far as I know, Bullied to Success is to
some extent based on your own life - care to elaborate, and how big an
influence did you have on the script?

I was never one of the
popular kids, I was a big kid when I was at school and I used to get
bullied a lot for my weight and how I looked to the point where I didn’t
want to go to school anymore, but was too afraid to say anything, always
thinking less of myself, feeling like I am worthless and if I was not here
no one would miss me, until I spoke to one person who turned my life
around and made me believe in myself again. Also push me to achieve the
impossible when everyone else said I couldn’t do it showed that I can.
Which is what the script is about, proving that you should never give up on
your dream and that you can achieve anything you put your heart into.

Let's return to
your character in the movie - what did you draw upon to bring him to life,
and to what extent is he based on yourself?

My character
Daniel I drew him for my own personality and life experiences, in how hard
life can be and if you keep pushing you can make anything possible, and
how having self belief there is nothing in this world can stop you from
making your dreams come true.

The movie Bullied to Success is going to
be an emotional rollercoaster, it is going to be a dark but true on the
actual effects bullying can cause.

So
what's the schedule for Bullied to Success, and any idea when and
where it might be released yet?

The schedule for Bullied to
Success is still to be confirmed, I am looking to start production and
casting calls early next year, and then start filming by June. I will be
putting forward it to film festivals and try to get it into schools, so I
can get the message out there.

Other current and future
projects you'd like to talk about?

I have just recently
been working on a film called Family 2, it's on IMDb with a friend.
There is
just one more scene to shoot and then that is in final production and will
be hopefully on Amazon Prime.

What got you into
acting in the first place, and did you receive any formal training on the
subject?

I have always liked movies and how actors bring
characters to life. I used to write scripts when I was really young, and
from then I have always known I wanted to be a movie star. I didn’t
receive any formal training in acting I just had so much passion for it,
and I am very pro-active and just learned as much as I could about the
industry, and then I found Northern Star
Acting where I have now been
training for just over 3 months and learned so much.

Any past films of yours you'd like to mention?

I
have just finished a short film called Deception where I played a DSI on
the hunt for a man who stole £2 million from his wife but then turns out
to be one of the newcomer police officer who set the whole thing up to
frame someone.

How
would you describe yourself as an actor, and some of your techniques to
bring your characters to life?

I'd describe myself as an
outgoing friendly guy who is very proactive and productive in my work. I
study the Stanislavski system, to help me focus, and I also do sense memory
exercises, also meditation, which helps me focus on each character I play
and to bring them to life. I go into a public place and go out as my
character.

Actors (and indeed
actresses) who inspire you?

The actors who inspire me are:

1)
Sylvester Stallone

2) Tom Hardy

These actors inspire me because there are
prof that no matter how you sound or what background you
come from, if your heart's in there you can achieve anything by being
persistent with your dream.

Anything else you're dying to
mention and I have merely forgotten to ask?

All I would
like to say is that all you need to do is believe in your dreams that no
matter what life puts in your way you will overcome it, study hard and be
good to everyone. As kindness reciprocates kindness. Over-come the
obstacle in the road and if life puts a stop sign in your path then find a
different route to get to that dream. It will be painful, it could last
for a week, a month, or even a year but eventually it will subside, and it
will be worth it.